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Delamination question

June 11, 2010, 01:30:48 pm

I definitely have delamination on both ends of the front slide, worse on the front end.
Does the factory have a flat rate charge for fixing this? What is the charge for repair?
The bedroom slide looks fine.

Thanks, Dick

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #1 – June 11, 2010, 01:55:57 pm

Dick,

The factory built the slide that de-laminated.

If you go to James Stallings at Xtreme, you will get an excellent repair that will not reappear and probably a little less costly too.

Perhaps you would wish to call him for a second opinion and ask George Stolz about his delam repair.

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #2 – June 11, 2010, 02:02:26 pm

Dick,

You should first talk to the dealer from whom you bought this  coach.  Delamination does not happen all at once  or overnight.  It could have been overlooked on purpose or by accident.  In either case you might be able to persuade the dealer that he has a moral obligation to assist in the cost of repairs.

In having ours repaired this week the cost was about $3500, but we did not have to have the slide out physically separated from the coach.  That will cost you more.  Also, we opted to not have the four to five coolors of paint on the end side walls of the slide out room and that saved another $500.  By the way, we had our work done at Xtreme Paint & Graphics.  I can't say enough about these craftsmen.  They really know their stuff.  So give them a call before you make up your mind where to go for repairs.

I know this is kind of a bitter pill to swallow.  Here you are buying one of the best motorhomes on the market and you run into a quality issue fairly soon into your ownership.  We got over that by realizing that there is so much quality built into our coach that a whole host of other problems that beset the owners of SOB's has not been something we had to deal with.  But I'd rather have the $3500 in my pocket.

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #3 – June 11, 2010, 03:18:34 pm

I also had my slide repaired at xtreme. I had to pull both of them and while xtreme was great and did a wonderful job it took longer putting them in that I thought so we were at MOT for an extra few days that put us over a weekend. james and crew are very well versed in this and they do a great job. I will say that the price they charged for the labor was very fair as well. They know why it did not adhere and what to use to fix it. If you have a window on that end you will eventually get a leak too if you do not get it fixed right....

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #4 – June 12, 2010, 09:23:08 pm

Thanks! 
The delamination area on the front end of the front slide is an oval almost a foot wide and maybe 20" high. I am wondering if a temporary fix could be done by cutting down the middle of the "bubble" and squirting an adhesive under both sides?
I have several items that seem like a higher priority to do before making a proper repair.

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #5 – June 12, 2010, 09:36:35 pm

Whatever you do, don't delay.  From what I understand about delamination, once it starts it can expand into new areas.

Others might weigh in regarding a do-it-yourself temporary fix.

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #6 – June 13, 2010, 10:16:28 pm

Your comment scares me George.
How serious do others consider delamination?  I have an area about 1sf on rear end of slideout.  FOT either missed it or ignored it (along with numerous other items) when I bought last year.
Thanks,
Mike  2003 U295

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #7 – June 13, 2010, 10:53:58 pm

No, they did not miss it they used the wrong adhesive that is not sticking to some of the insulation. If you look in the pictures that I posted of mine you will see that they put the stuff on and it ate away the insulation and was flexing. It gets worse as it heats up and I was told not to take the slide in when it was hot out. I would hear a squeal when I did and that was theslide rubbing on the bladder. It will eventually rip it..and if you have it near a window it will leak...

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #8 – June 14, 2010, 08:56:52 pm

Thanks, John.  At this point it is well below the window.  I guess I'll just keep an eye on it.
I have seen your pictures.  They, and George's, are very informative.
 
I didn't mean that FOT missed it in manufacture, but that they didn't find it, or didn't report it to me, when I bought the coach.  I was aware of delamination and other issues from reading the yahoo site, but, as a first-time RV owner I was overwhelmed by the scope of things to be checked.  I relied on FOT's promises to check the issues I raised, and everything else for that matter.  In retrospect, it's clear that very little checking was done.  My advice to others is that "caveat emptor" applies, even if you are buying from the factory.  Sorry for the off-topic venting.
Mike Spitz 2003 u-295

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #9 – June 14, 2010, 09:06:34 pm

Mike, I'm real sorry to hear about this delamination on your coach just purchased.  I would certainly bring it to FOT's attention as an item they should have inspected and notified you as a good faith gesture, if any exists these days.  I'm sure FOT knew that you are a new motorhome owner and there is not way for you to know all the items that need to be inspected.  You relied on their expertise and good faith.  Please call Mark Harvey 800-955-6226 x237, and follow the conversation with a letter and copy your salesman.

This kind of "stuff" should not go without a fight.  Good luck.

ps  I had to go back and forth with Mark on several issues when I bought our coach back in 2003.  Resolution wasn't until sometime in 2004.

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #10 – June 14, 2010, 09:34:54 pm

I agree with Peter.  It is one thing to understand why the factory can not afford to go back and fix a problem on a seven year old coach.  But it is quite another to tell a customer that they will check For delamination and either not do it or find it and not tell you about it.  Obvioulsy, telling you about it would kill the sale or cause them to pay to fix it.

We just paid around $3,000 grand to fix our delamination.  If your salesman made a distinct promise to you that he would check for delamination, then hold his feet to the fire.

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Re: Delamination question

Reply #11 – June 15, 2010, 02:56:11 pm

I agree.  If my generator/electrical saga on the tech forum turns out to be an actual generator problem, it might be instructive for others considering to use or not use the vendor I have been dealing with.  People realize they are only hearing one side of the story and can draw their own conclusions.

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